The Aftermath
by TheHardcoreHobbit
Summary: Shorts that occur after the Promise day. Mostly fluff, but with occasional hurt/comfort. If anyone has anything they'd like to read, PM me and I'll see what I can do! Rated T to be safe


Just some random shorts that my friend and I have come up with while we're are researching FMA brotherhood. :) We thought they were pretty great so I hope you do too! Thanks for reading, any reviews/comments are appreciated.

Not sure how often I'll be updating but I'll try my best to be consistent.

* * *

Winry groaned as another contraction hit her, sending pain shooting up her back. She swore to god she was never going to let Ed do this to her again. He wanted more than one kid, ("only children are so lonely, I mean what would I have ever done without Al? Didn't you ever wish you had a brother or sister?") and she had to agree, but for the love of Amestris, it _hurt_. She thought she knew what she would be up against, after reading so much about it, and helping more than one woman give birth in emergency situations, but this was _nothing _like what she'd been expecting.  
The mechanic grabbed for her best customer's hand, a small smile passing over her lips when she was met with a warm calloused palm instead of cool automail. Ed had finally regained full use of his right arm again after the series of surgeries to remove the metal and screws from under his skin after the Promise day, when he'd finally discovered the way to get his limb back. It'd been a long process, but he'd been without complications for over a year, something she was gradually getting used to.  
Luckily, he still had his automail leg, else she probably wouldn't have seen much of Ed after that horrible week, and they never would have ended up here.  
Well, on second thought, maybe not so lucky after all.  
She squeezed tighter than intended as more pain washed over her and she couldn't keep quiet anymore, "Edward Elric, this is all your fault, you understand?"  
Winry turned her head slightly so that she could make sure her words hadn't affected him the wrong way; it seemed they hadn't. There was none of the old hurt in his golden eyes as he raised an eyebrow at her.  
"You're the one who said we shouldn't wait any longer."  
"Yes, well, I was afraid if we did, Mustang would send you off to some conflict and you'd get so enthralled with the fighting and how much you miss your old alchemy days that I'd never see you again!" she growled, even though the words held no truth to them.  
Some people had wondered if Ed would actually stick around: he was a restless soul after all. If he wasn't moving forward, he was standing still, something he couldn't deal with. He'd never been able to, even before he'd lost his mother.  
But this was different. He'd grown up without his father, and Winry knew that he'd never wish that on anyone.  
Besides, if he wasn't around to teach their kids about how awesome of an alchemist he'd used to be, who would?  
"How much longer do I have to do this?!" she moaned as she fell back against the pillow, Ed's fingers still clenched loosely in hers.  
"Why don't I go ask? I'll grab you some more water too," he said as he stood, gently untangling his right hand, snatching the glass that was on her bedside table with his left.  
"Yeah, yeah, just hurry back, alright? I don't think it'd going to be-" she bit her lip and closed her eyes, trying to breathe, "that much more time. They're getting a lot closer together."  
"Sure thing Winry," his tone was calm, laid back, completely the opposite of how she felt in that moment.  
The door clicked closed as he exited and she was alone.  
He better not take too long. If she could transfer even a small amount of this pain onto him, she was going to.

* * *

Ed took one step into the kitchen, found a bare spot of wall, then slid to the floor with his spine pressed against the plaster.  
Of course, Al had to take that moment to walk in. He always did have a horrible sense of timing.  
"Brother! Hell-" he cut off, "Brother? Ed, are you okay?!"  
One pair of wide golden eyes met another and Ed was climbing to his feet, stumbling forward until his palms were pressed against Al's real, human shoulders, "I'm not sure, actually."  
"What? What does that mean? Are you in pain?"  
"Me? MY WIFE IS HAVING A BABY IN THE OTHER ROOM! _WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT ME AL_?!"  
"Oh yeah, Granny told me Winry went into labor earlier today. How's it going?"  
"She's fine, she's fine, perfect…"  
Al eyed him warily, "Something's wrong."  
"No no, everything… everything's… OF COURSE SOMETHING'S WRONG, ARE YOU STUPID?! WINRY'S IN AGONY AND I CAN'T DO ANYTHING."  
"She can handle it, you know that."  
"OF COURSE BUT… but… you really think she'll be alright?"  
"Well, yeah. I mean, you're here to take care of her, the doctor's checking her regularly, plus Granny and I have got your back," Al spoke so matter of fact that Ed had to pause for a moment.  
"You know what… you're right. Thanks little bro," Ed patted Al on the head, internally gloating about the fact that he was still taller than his sibling, even though this was not the proper time and place for those kinds of thoughts.  
Hey, he couldn't help it. It was nice not to be the shrimp.  
"Are you sure you're okay?"  
"Yeah, she's tough. I shouldn't doubt her."  
"No, that's not what I meant. In a few hours, you're going to have a son or daughter.. I can't even imagine how that must feel."  
Now that he mentioned it…  
"I'm gonna be a dad."  
"Yep! Isn't it great?!"  
"… A dad."  
"Um, Ed?"

"Brother?"

"Brother, you've gotta answer me. It scares me when you go all quiet like this."

"…Ed?"  
"I'm going to have a son or a daughter," Ed repeated, processing it for a moment, "And I'm their father."  
"Well, I should hope so-"  
"What if I mess it up? What if… what if I drop the kid? Winry would kill me… she'd probably get the wrench out again… What if we don't pick the right name? Or he or she… WHAT IF HE OR SHE ENDS UP…" Ed swallowed, "… _SHORT?_"  
"Brother, come on, it'll be-"  
"DON'T TELL ME IT'LL BE FINE, 'CAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW. THERE'S SO MANY THINGS… SO MANY THINGS THAT COULD GO WRONG!"  
"Except you'll take care of it. You always have. You took care of me, remember?"  
"Didn't do a very good job of that though, did I?"  
Al's gaze turned furious, "Don't start that again. You were the best big brother I could have asked for, so don't say otherwise. Go back in that room, hold Winry's hand and don't let the baby fall when she hands him or her to you, okay? It's that simple. Don't leave her alone in there."  
Ed raised his eyes from the floor, "When did you get so smart?"  
"When I started listening to the advice of my brother. He's pretty amazing sometimes."  
"… Really. Huh. Well, be sure to tell him that more often."  
"Ah shut up and get in there before I make good on the fact that I beat you forever ago when it came to who would get to date Winry."  
"You wouldn't dare."  
"I so would!"  
"Mae would kill you!"  
"Yes well, she'd get over it someday!"  
Ed shook his head as he made his way back down the hall into his and his wife's bedroom. Only after he had the door open and he was halfway inside did he realize that he'd forgotten the water.  
"Uh, I left the glass in the kitchen."  
"It's fine Ed, I don't need water, I need you, okay? So get your scrawny ass over here," he decided to take that as a compliment.  
"Alright, alright, calm down," he smiled as he sat next to the bed, wiping away a bit of the sweat on her forehead with his fully functioning, skin and bone thumb.  
"You're one to talk!"  
"Eh?"  
"I heard you and Al."  
"…Oh."


End file.
